This supplemental text for educational policy, administration, and program evaluation courses provides a framework for examining the following crucial questions. To what extent have state and federal initiated policies actually been implemented during the past 25 years? and To what degree does implementation lead to effectiveness? At a time when critical understanding of the issues is essential for good decision making, this volume provides a valuable tool for teachers, students, and makers of educational policy.

This document presents findings of an independent committee that was organized by the Twentieth Century Fund to study the Federal role in shaping educational policy, and includes the comprehensive background paper (prepared by Paul E. Peterson) on which the task force discussions were based. The report describes current problems in elementary and secondary schooling, reviews effects of the past Federal role in education, and proposes Federal policy involvement in the following areas: (1) establishment of a program to reward teaching excellence ; (2) emphasis on English language literacy; (3) provision of advanced science and mathematics training; (4) continued support of special programs for disadvantaged students; (5) support for educational research; and (6) financial support to provide parents with schooling options. The background paper examines the history and current state of American education, evaluates the impact of Federal policy on education, and provides a framework for evaluating recommendations for change. Specifically, the paper describes declines in educational expansion over the years; suggests that the Federal government has had only modest effects on the educational system; and stresses that Federal policy should consider the need to balance the issues of quality and equality and of Federal direction versus local autonomy in education. (MJL)

One civil rights-era law has reshaped American society—and contributed to the country's ongoing culture wars Few laws have had such far-reaching impact as Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Intended to give girls and women greater access to sports programs and other courses of study in schools and colleges, the law has since been used by judges and agencies to expand a wide range of antidiscrimination policies—most recently the Obama administration’s 2016 mandates on sexual harassment and transgender rights. In this comprehensive review of how Title IX has been implemented, Boston College political science professor R. Shep Melnick analyzes how interpretations of "equal educational opportunity" have changed over the years. In terms accessible to non-lawyers, Melnick examines how Title IX has become a central part of legal and political campaigns to correct gender stereotypes, not only in academic settings but in society at large. Title IX thus has become a major factor in America's culture wars—and almost certainly will remain so for years to come.